Soul Bonds
by Vegeta the 3rd
Summary: Everyone must acknowledge their inner selves. If they don't, it will eat them alive from the inside out. Can Souji Seta come to terms with his own feelings he has neglected since the beginning before it's too late? Rated M for Language & graphic violence.


_A/N: Hey all. This idea of a story came to me when kinda playing with how the ever decisive moment of endings came to play, with a bit of inspiration by some other authors such as zero-damage, The Qing, and Megaolix. Specifically, I wanted to experiment how the events of the game would change if our protagonist had his own Shadows to face. The plot might be a bit linear from there, with some changes here and there, and the beginning seems a little awkward IMO, but I hope you all enjoy it.  
_

_Also, for those that were looking forward to my other stories, forgive me. I just had this one going around my head a while and wanted to share this one. Writing is definitely not as easy as it looks, you know._

_Oh, and disclaimer claims: I have nothing on this. This will be the only chapter I'll write this out, so keep that in mind._

* * *

Chapter 1: Denial and Regrets

"_Where did I go wrong?"_

That thought was on everyone's mind, but to the gray haired young man, Souji Seta, that thought was solely heartbreaking, and the only thing he was aware of. He stood there, head down, as grief filled its way to his heart. His face was hung low, hidden in shadow with only a glimmer of tears appearing in his eyelids. The long monotonous beep from her lifeline broke through the room, leaving everyone in the hospital room shocked silence. The little brown haired girl on the hospital bed was pale and motionless, eyes closed and left behind a content smile in her 'big bro's presence. Nanako Dojima, his younger cousin… was dead.

And 'big bro' couldn't do anything to save her.

He blamed his uncle, the hard working detective Ryutaro Dojima, for throwing him in prison the night she was taken, and getting himself hospitalized after a car crash when chasing the kidnapper.

He blamed the rather insane and twisted Taro Namatame, the culprit behind all these Inaba murder cases, for involving someone as innocent as Nanako into all this.

He blamed the incompetent doctors for not being able to save her or better her condition at all from the time she was brought here.

He even blamed Sayoko Uehara, the nurse he befriended from when he worked part-time in this very hospital, for leaving a month ago and not be here to help her.

But most of all, he blamed himself, for not being there to prevent this from happening in the first place.

His fellow classmates and Persona fighters were also upset, all crying and comforting themselves. Nanako was loved by all of them, for her bright smile and maturity, giving them not only inspiration to solve the murder cases, but a desire to protect someone like her from the killer. Her love for Junes, stuffed animals, along with her wise words and even the ability to put down the girl's horrible cooking had warmed all of their hearts in one way or another. Her smile and love was just so infectious. She was as much of a little sister to all of them as she was to their leader.

But if anything, Souji felt most responsible. He was the team's leader, their strongest asset, someone they depend upon to make the shots and lead the rescue team to save the victims when they end up in the TV world. The fact that they blame themselves instead of him somehow made the pain all the more unbearable.

"_I not only failed Nanako-chan, I failed my friends too…"_

He promised himself that he wouldn't let any more victims died like the first two had. Mayumi Yamano, the TV announcer who was involved in an affair with Namatame, and Saki Konishi, a senior at his High School who use to work part-time at Junes as was Yosukue's first love. They were both killed when, as odd as it sounds, thrown into a TV.

The same thing was attempted on all his friends henceforth, but were all saved and given the means to help in this 'investigation'. It never got easier, as the challenges they faced were harder and the elusive mystery of the murderer met some dead-ends like the fake killer Mitsuo Kubo. But they kept at it; solely because they were the only ones who could do it. The Police wouldn't believe it and proved time and time again to be useless.

"_What are we fighting for? What am __**I**__ fighting for?"_

Souji had never been so bothered by such a question before. He was fighting to solve the murders, right? Fighting to protect his loved ones from the mad serial killer? That's what he promised.

"_Did I …do the right thing? Am I doing the right thing?"_

For the first time in a long time, Souji Seta felt unsure of himself, and a sickening feeling was tickling in the back of his head.

* * *

Dojima took Nanako's death the hardest. He already lost his wife in a car crash by a man he so desperately tried to apprehend, but to loose Nanako, the last anchor of his life... he looked dead inside, and limped out of the room without a word.

His partner and 'gofer', Tohr Adachi, was quick to offer assistance for the senior detective's poor condition. "Dojima-san! Let me help you!"

Dojima said nothing, and didn't even acknowledge Adachi in anyway. He continued to wobble towards the elevator, mumbling words such as "Unfair…daughter's dead…bastard…"

Adachi watched on at with a perplexed expression, as his eyes suddenly grew as wide as saucers. "Wait, isn't that-!?" His mind seemed to work on overdrive as he ran down the hall towards Dojima. "Shit! Dojima-san, wait!"

The elevator door closed just as banged at the door, leaving the junior detective to curse again. He wasn't aware that some of Souji's friends were waiting in the same hallway, as he blurted out the next few words. "Dammit, he must be heading towards Namatame's room!"

"What?!"

Before Adachi could do as much to cover his big mouth shut, Kanji Tatsumi yanked him by the jacket helm and suspended him. His eyes were red with tears and anger, as how he only hid his sensitive side with a rough demeanor.

"You know something we don't, punk?!"

Adachi gulped, still shaken whenever Kanji threatened him with his voice and tone, rather than words. It gave him a sense he was being bullied for his lunch money, _again._ "I-it's rather confidential information, mind you! I'm not supposed to speak such things allowed, so-,"

"Namatame is stationed here, isn't he?"

The rather calm, collected, and cold response from Souji threw the detective off, but not just of the fact it wasn't asked like a question. Most of the investigation gang (minus Teddie) was outside in the hall now, faces with anguish, confusion, and righteous fury. All except Soujil; he looked as dead as his uncle.

The headphone-wearing Hanamura glared at him. "You dumbass! What were you thinking, putting him here?!"

Adachi sweated more, feeling pressure of the students glaring at him. He was about to try and reason with them with a rather forced and ill worded excuse, but remembered that Dojima was still going after Namatame, and as soon as Kanji put him down by Souji's command, he bolted for the other elevator door.

"Wait!" Yosuke yelled, running after him with Kanji.

Adachi barely made it as a couple of passengers stepped out, and really cut it close as he pushed a button and doors closed between himself and the students.

Kanji banged the door in frustration. "Dammit! Freaking cop's a coward!"

"Maybe not," Naoto Shirogane stated. While she too was sad for Nanako's passing, she managed to more or less recompose herself for the situation.

"Adachi-san was very concerned about Dojima-san confronting Namatame," The Detective 'Prince' continued. "If so, we can assume Dojima-san knows where Namatame is, and that Adachi-san is heading there to stop him."

"Yeah," Yosuke nodded, with an unusual dark glint in his eye. "Let's go pay Namatame a visit,"

Namatame… just hearing his name made the junior clench his fist, in an uncontrollable fury not unlike one towards Mitsuo, but much more stronger Namatame… spouting nonsense about 'saving Nanako' but did nothing but kill her instead! Being confined in that TV world was stressful enough for his friends before who didn't awaken their Personas at first, but she was only nine! Someone completely innocent and kind and-

Someone he loved dearly as a sibling, rather than a cousin.

"_Someone whom I shared a close bond with…"_

"Souji-kun?"

Souji flinched as if waking up from a daze. He noticed the rest of his schoolmates running down the hall for the stairway, except for Yukiko Amagi. The raven-haired girl turned to gaze at him, noticing how he wasn't moving along with the others. She also saw a bit of grieving in his eyes, but it passed almost as quickly as she called his name.

"I-I'm sorry about Nanako-chan," she spoke again. Why else would he be so sad about this? "I know if we were there-"

"Let's go."

Yukiko flinched at the rather blunt interruption, doing nothing as Souji walked right past her. She probably never should have said anything, seeing the rather dark glint in his eye just mentioning her name.

She hurried with the others, but kept a reasonable pace behind Souji all the same.

* * *

The investigation team followed Adachi, and just as Naoto predicted, he led them straight to Dojima and Namatame. They hid themselves as the officers stationed at the door helped Adachi carry the senior detective back to his room, leaving the room unattended. When the cost was clear, they went inside. The door, fortunately, wasn't locked.

The room was dark, but large and rather luxurious. Namatame was seen cowering at the edge of the room, as if trying to escape through the window next to the large TV. He noticed everyone move in, with a feeling of killer intent directed at him.

"Where do you think _you're_ going, murderer?!" Kanji spat.

Namatame could say nothing, but gasp breaths of terror and fear. He edged away, worried for his own well-being.

"Not that I give a damn, but do you have anything to say for yourself?!" Yosuke added, threatening a step towards him. "You have anything to say on the behalf that you killed Nanako-chan?! Like Saki-sempai and Ms. Yamano?!"

The timid man was no officially a loss for words. He didn't expect to hear that statement, after he had tried so hard. He managed to collect himself and stutter his own defense. "B-b-bu-but I tried to-!"

"Don't give us that 'saving' bullshit!" yelled Kanji. "You're the one who tried to kill us too, dammit, throwing us into a friggin TV!"

"I-I didn't mean-!"

That was all he could say before midnight stroke. The Investigation Team was familiar with how the Midnight Channel worked; look at a blank television screen on a rainy night, and your 'soul mate' will be revealed. It was just a rumor that spread around at school, but it wasn't a rumor; it was real. It wasn't your soul mate that appeared on the screen either, it was usually a person that was, or will be, thrown into the TV world.

However, none of them expected it to happen right now, or who would be on the screen.

It was Namatame's shadow, clad in the very same delivery uniform as before, as opposed to the real Namatame's hospital patient clothes. The once blank screen was covered in sharp color, as the background was the familiar scene of Heaven, where they last fought the madman. Everyone was at a loss of words.

"_**Yes, I suppose I did kill that girl," **_The Shadow smirked. The voice was much like the real Namatame, but with an added dark tone that made it sound…malevolent.

Chie Satonaka recovered first, pointing a finger at the screen. "What's going on?"

Rise Kuchikawa blinked, glancing between both Namatame's. "But... we beat that guy already, didn't we?!"

"In theory, yes," Naoto answered, still rather surprised. "But remember; Namatame never faced his other self, like the rest of us. One can assume that's why his shadow is still there."

"_**It's quite a shame she had to die though," **_The Shadow continued. _**"You were all very found of that girl, weren't you?"**_

No one said anything, but were getting the indication none of them were going to like what it was about to say. Everyone assumed the worst and were already hating it for it, except for Namatame, and surprisingly Souji, as both were shocked and confused as what it was getting at.

"_**Perhaps if you weren't so familiar with that girl, the pain wouldn't have been as tragic."**_

"_Tragic…?" _That painful thought echoed in Souji's mind, louder than any other noise than the Shadow's.

"_**It is only inevitable that sooner or later, one leaves or passes away. Simply block all else out and you will be in content with your own feelings. No one who would do or say otherwise could ever hurt you that way."**_

"_Block out…? Content with my own feelings…?"_

"_**You could kill me if you want. I don't mind. But then again, that won't really solve anything, would it? Will it ever bring her back? Will it make the pain stop?"**_

"_The pain…"_

"_**All I know for sure is you'll regret ever making the decision to try and stop me."**_ And with that, the Midnight Channel ended, and the TV screen turned off again.

"_Regret…? What does he mean, 'regret'?"_

He reflected back to earlier in the year, when he just started to try and solve the case. Prior to that, his first 'visit' in the Velvet Room, with the man Igor predicting his future to solve a great mystery. He also told him he could get stronger through the power of making bonds with others.

It started off small, with Yosuke, as both wanted to solve the murder case. Then it gradually grew; Chie, Daisuke and Kou, Amane, Yukiko, the shrine fox, Kanji, and so on and so on. It became almost a daily routine for him to leave school and hang out with his friends, not because he could get stronger, but because he liked the small breaks of the murder mystery, just forgetting about the dire situation for a while to 'hang out'.

But… what if the Shadow was right? Whether or not they decide to do with Namatame, nothing will change; Nanako will still be dead, he'll still grief her… and he'll leave again by the end of the year.

The only difference is whether or not he wanted the guilt of one's death over his head.

"What do you say, leader?"

"Huh?" Souji blinked, second time he was caught in his daze. This time it was Yosuke, looking at him with a bit of anticipation.

"What do you want to do?" He explained. "Step outside, or help us push this bastard in the TV?"

Souji took the time to examine everyone's reactions. Kanji cracked his knuckles, ready to lift the now even more paranoid Namatame. Naoto looked neutral, but he could tell she had the same dark intensions as Yosuke and Kanji. The other girls looked scared of them. Chie was comforting a crying Rise, but glancing at Yosuke with a look of denial and feeling betrayed. Yukiko was on the verge of tears, staring at Souji and subtly shaking her head no.

With the absence of Teddie, half of them wanted to kill Namatame, and the other half wanted them to stop. Souji Seta was to be their tie-breaker.

He spared one last glance at Namatame, feeling pity for him than anything. Any anger he once held for him nearly disappeared, as he was still conflicted what the Shadow specifically told him a few moments prior. Was this what he wanted? Is this what Nanako would want? This couldn't be how Igor told him his 'journey' would end, right?

The gray-haired teen sighed, stared Yosuke in the eye, and uttered one word. "No."

The girls looked relieved, but Yosuke looked confused. "No what?"

"No one deserves this, Yosuke. Not even Namatame." He side-glanced him and added, "He's too pitiful for that."

Yosuke snapped, pissed off at just the thought of it. "The hell he is! He's the killer, dammit!"

"So what do you want us to do?!" Souji snapped back, for the first time showing the most negative emotion to the other Persona users. "Kill him the same way he killed Saki-senpai and Nanako-chan?! Take matters into your own hands like Mitsuo?!"

Whatever short-lived peace was made from Souji's decision was evaporated with tension as heated as the argument. Yosuke and Souji showed very vivid signs of rage and aggression to one another, and even Kanji and Naoto found themselves worried.

"Don't you DARE compare me to that fish-faced bastard! He was nothing more than stupid jackass wanting attention for killing King Moron!"

"I don't care if it's for attention or justice! Killing him won't solve anything and you know it!"

Yosuke growled, glaring at the equally mad Souji. Neither could think of what to say to each other now, so one would assume their argument would stop and escalate to a fist fight. Naoto decided that enough was enough and tried to play mediator. "Let's all calm down and think for a minute-"

"The bastard's getting away!"

True to Kanji's word, Namatame was nearly a third of the way out of the window. Given how he was haunted by his dreams, and now hearing the death of Nanako and his own Shadow talk about it like he didn't care, it was enough to throw him off the edge. With what little sanity he had left, he sneakily went closer to the window and opened it during the verbal abuse. He was just about to jump off for his life before Kanji and Yosuke grabbed him by the arms. His weak struggles were in vain.

Yosuke was now beyond reasoning, after seeing the murderer try to escape twice. "That tears it! Kanji, the TV!"

Chie couldn't stand by any further, and ran in front of them/ "Yosuke, don't! _Please_!"

The head-phoned student swatted her aside, not even sparing a glance. "Stay out of this or I'll throw you in too!"

The two students positioned themselves in front of the TV, ready to swing Namatame in and finally call this case close. The only thing stopping them was Souji, deliberately (or maybe unconsciously) standing in between them and the TV.

"Get outta the way, _Senpai_," Kanji asked, but had a threatening tone to it.

"Don't makes hurt you, _Leader_," Yosuke added, with just as much venom.

Souji acknowledged neither of them, staring at the floor. What was wrong with him? Why would he save the life of a madman, who killed Nanako-chan, enough to deny his friends, whom he shared times of hardship and amusement with? What in the world possessed him to do this?

"_Nothing will change… I'll still move away by the end of this year, and be forgotten as always."_

The Investigation leader acknowledged everyone again. Kanji and Yosuke ready to throw Namatame in, Naoto watching as she conflicted whether to give the benefit of the doubt or finish what they started, the rest of the girls all scared again and too fearful to try and stop this.

"_I was a fool to think I can call them my 'real' friends."_

"So this is what it comes down to…" Souji sighed. "A group of kids, who want to solve the case and save lives, attempting to commit homicide to the Inaba Serial Killer…" He looked up, with eyes hardened with hatred, glaring directly at Yosuke. "If I had known it would have come to this, I wouldn't have ever wasted my time following you to that friggin TV and let you die!"

The effect was immediate. Everyone was at a loss for words, even Namatame. Rise was speechless, staring wide eyed, hoping what the saw wasn't a trick. Naoto flinched inwardly, as if expecting such a reaction, but all the same hurt. Yukiko gasped and chocked on a sob, feeling as if he might as well just crushed her heart. Chie was probably the most dishearted by that, because she personally knew that Yosuke was stubborn to adventure into the TV after Saki's death. From hearing Teddie's side of the story, Souji was there to save Yosuke from his own shadow. Saying that he didn't care was like he would rather desregard the group's lives... and their friendship.

Yosuke and Kanji's reaction, feeling full force of the remark, was much more violent.

"You..." Kanji growled, after overcoming the shock.

Yosuke was just as ticked, and threw Namatame down to the floor as he yelled "BASTARD!"

Both of them charged towards Souji, disregarding the insane murderer and focusing on punching the lights out of their leader.

Naoto realized what was about to happen, and tried to warn them. "No! STOP!"

Too late; Kanji's fist connected to Souji's chest, Yosuke's to his face. The combined momentum and force was enough to push the gray haired junior back in midair, and sailed towards the TV.

His face, while bruised by Yosuke's right hook, was still scrunched up in hate. That was the last thing they saw before he vanished.

Kanji and Yosuke literally punched Souji through the TV.

Rise gulped, hoping he was still there and that this was just a dream. "Se-sen…pai…?" she squeaked.

"S-souji-kun…he's-," Yukiko sobbed, but couldn't get the words out. Somehow, this hurt even more than hearing him spout insults a moment ago.

Naoto frowned, looking away. "Gone…"

Yosuke and Kanji were at a loss of words. They were so intent on beating up the man they once looked up to that neither thought of the consequences. Everyone was at a loss for words, witnessing, and even allowing the very thing they vowed never to allow happen to anyone else. It was only then they realized the gravity of the crime they almost committed on Namatame, but it was otherwise too late for Souji.

Chie recovered first. In a blind act of fury, she rushed in and kicked them at their ankles in a sweeping motion. Both fell flat on their sides with two loud thuds. "You dumbasses! Do you have any idea what you just DONE?!"

Yosuke was sweating, feeling guilty and worried at the same time. As (very vaguely) cute as it looked, Chie crying and pissed off was definitely NOT a good sign. Not that he blamed her for feeling that way. "I-w-we didn't mean-!"

"'Didn't mean' my ass!" She snapped. "What, you want _me_ to push_ you _in?! I'd be happy to oblige!"

"Chie, no!" Yukiko scolded, comforting her crying friend's shoulder. "Please, don't resort to _that_! Not after…" The sentense and tension hung there, giving clear indication what she meant.

"She's right," Naoto nodded. "Right now, we need to calmly consider this situation. That means we all need to take a breather for a minute."

"But-!"

"_Calmly_," Naoto said again, cutting Rise.

Everyone exchanged glances (except for the now hysterically shaking oblivious to all Namatame). It was no doubt that they were worried about Souji, but overreacting about it won't do them any good, and certainly won't help him any. If anything, it just might make matters worse.

"…alright," Chie sighed.

Kanji gulped, before making a nearly inaudible "Sorry,"

"Yeah, same here." Yosuke added.

The girls didn't respond, and it was without a doubt they wouldn't forgive them any time soon.

* * *

Souji never really liked going through the TV; no matter how they go through it, he and everyone else would end up falling on each other, like, well, they fell. There were even some occasions where they were all bundled in a giant dog-pile formation, nearly poking each other with their elbows and rather dangerous weapons.

This one was a bit different, being pushed while facing the other way. The pain of landing after a few back rolls still ringed in his head. Slowly, he tried pushing himself off the floor, but found himself surprisingly weaker than usual. This wasn't the first time he had been into the TV world, and he didn't want to think of this as his last. He was in fit condition, even when on his own. He just needed to get up and try to find the exit back at the June Portal so his friends don't-

He stopped himself. Why… why did he always care about what his so called friends think, even now?

"_It was because of them that things came to this…"_

Around him molds of Shadows started to close in on him. With the fog lifted on this side, the various creatures of the TV world are agitated enough to close in and attack those who venture the TV world. Those like the Investigation team, because their Personas attract the Shadows like magnets. Souji paid no mind, oblivious to everything around him.

"_Things wouldn't have turned out this way if I'd never set foot in Inaba."_

However, it was different this time. The Shadows had every opportunity and chance to attack the vulnerable Souji, but hesitated. They beckoned closer, seeing, _feeling,_ a sort of attraction that welcomed them… not resent them.

They were drawn to Souji's inner turmoil in a more mutual light. His shame, his fear, his aggression… instead of feeding off of him, they were being fed to that spiraling void of dark emotions.

"_The story is the same wherever I go; as soon as I arrive somewhere new, I'm suddenly latched by everyone to try and know them, but it won't make a difference once I move and start the whole process over."_

The blank area surrounding Souji started to take form as Shadows massed themselves into solid structures. It started slow and gradual, but picked up the pace considerably as more and more Shadows gathered in. The black smog and mass they originally take mixed with one another, until a sky blue hue was taking place.

"_It was no different with Yosuke, Chie, and Yukiko-san, only by some odd convenience of this 'Midnight Channel' was I more familiar than I wanted to be."_

The Shadows massed themselves more and more, interlinking taller and more complex structures surrounding the area. It was no longer an empty studio-like scene like back at the Junes entrance, though it was far from done. The building itself was complete, but the Shadows continued to gather around to form it exactly to Souji's inner feelings.

"_I hate it… I hate how I will only manage to hurt them as well as myself even with this stupid murder case over and Nanako-chan dead. I, I don't want to be here any more. I want to get the hell out of here, I…"_

The finer points were being made, as the inside also was given life and detail in the form of a skilled craftsmen (a craftsmen with a rather twisted imagination and uneven recreation tactics but skilled all the same). As Souji's emotions grew, so did the building and the pace of the Shadows. However, he started to feel a throbbing pain his head grow steadily stronger, feeling much worse than an average headache.

"_I…"_

The pain grew worse, forcing Souji to reach and clutch his head in pain. He almost couldn't tell from the faint feeling of blacking out he was facing, but he felt something was being ripped apart from his own skull.

"_I…!"_

For what seemed like an eternity, the pain ended with an audible crack. It felt so unbearable the teen would have screamed if he wasn't so numb. Even now he felt himself growing fatigue, now more than ever, as if he was forcefully switched off.

What appeared before him, fluttering around, were Tarot cards. The very same ones he used to summon his various Personas; Odin, Black Frost, Tam Lin, Izanagi, and then some. They all hovered and stacked on one another, floating above him.

The bright glow the Persona cards gave off was quickly diminished as one by one, Shadows sucked into them and covered them in black mass. The mass continued to grow long after the cards and glow vanished within the mass, slowly taking shape and growing in size.

Souji lost consciousness at that moment, but the last thing he saw from the black mass was the light of two golden colored eyes.

* * *

In another realm, parallel to the real world and the TV world, stands a room. But not just any room. It is a special room that is only opened by one doorway on both worlds, and can be opened to only a select few given at a time.

Such a room is made possible by one of the residents in the room, a well-dressed man known for his mannerisms and long nose, simply known as Igor. His beautiful assistant, Margaret, also resides in the room with him, as a servant.

The room they live in is always a shade of dark blue/purple, giving a scene of nostalgia for whomever steps inside. Thus is the name of the room "Velvet Room".

"Hmm…" The long-nosed man hummed a single word. His expression was perplexed, as if surprised, but gave the impression he had knew was happening all along.

Margaret, confused by his tone, gazed at him. "Is there something wrong, master?"

Igor ignored her, or simply didn't hear it. Instead he gave a quick wave of his hand over the table in front of him. In a moment, several cards appeared on the table. Some were face up, as they had the picture of the Tower and the Moon Arcana cards, both upright, while the rest were face down.

"It appears that our guest has faced a slight alteration on his journey," Igor explained. With no hesitation, he snapped his fingers and proceeded to flip the center-most card.

It revealed the Fool, in the reverse position.

"Our guest's journey may end here."


End file.
